


right or easy

by sunset_oasis



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Hogwarts Seventh Year, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 15:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11809143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_oasis/pseuds/sunset_oasis
Summary: Blaise wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He let his eyes focus on Theo, and suspected that deep down, perhaps he'd always known what was causing him to make a decision that he knew, logically, was stupid. Very, very stupid.He had no idea if it was going to be right, and he doubted that it would be easy.





	right or easy

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

 

People always said it was a choice between what's right and what's easy.

Blaise doubted that.

He'd watched Malfoy like some kind of fascinating entertainment from fifth year to seventh year, from proud and haughty and ready to serve the Dark Lord to slowly realizing what all that entailed. He doubted that Malfoy actually had a choice between right and easy. Rumors had been flying around and everyone caught wind of the failed mission of Lucius Malfoy, and people were whispering about the Dark Lord.

Did it count as having a choice when you'd been born only to know one direction to take in life? Did it count as having a choice, when you only realized the other direction far too late, when it was far too dangerous to change, with your life and your parents life hanging above you as a threat?

Blaise watched Malfoy with some kind of detached amusement, and thought that the morally righteous people liked to say it was a choice between what's right and what's easy. However, he thought that what  _was_  right was to keep oneself alive, to keep oneself safe, and not the other pretentious things all the self proclaimed good people might think.

Not that all the choices Malfoy were presented seemed anything remotely easy, he observed.

 

* * *

 

People always said it was a choice between right and easy.

Blaise disagreed.

Blaise watched the ice queen Daphne Greengrass faltered for the first time, hesitating as the Carrows ordered her to Crucio a Gryffindor who'd been caught making troubles. He remembered that Daphne had always been adept at following rules, keeping to herself and staying out of trouble. Those used to be both easy and right, until an unforgivable got involved.

He watched as Alecto Carrow crucioed Daphne herself and the Gryffindor, and he secretly vowed not to make the same mistake as her. He thought about how after Daphne, Longbottom also refused to cast the crucio on a second year, his eyes shining with determination that while Blaise didn't approve, he had to at least be impressed a little.

But Blaise disagreed that ending up with two people tortured instead of one was choosing the right before easy, if it meant that more people had suffered. He gazed at the scene before them impassively, and thought, that logically Daphne could've cast a weaker crucio that wouldn't hurt as much as Alecto Carrow's, and the Gryffindor would, logically, hurt less too.

He wondered why people wanted to call things a choice between what was  _right_ and what was  _easy_ , when it was actually "what was the brave but unhelpful grand gesture which ended up hurting everyone more" and "what was the logical decision".

He thought, briefly, that did it count as cowardly if you'd rather choose the former because of your conscience, if you choose to let more people get hurt worse, only because you refused to be  _realistic_? Was making everyone suffer for a  _noble_  cause really better, just because you'd rather let people suffer more than let your own  _pureness_  be tarnished?

When it was his turn, he closed off his emotions and cast the spell evenly.

 

* * *

 

People always said you had to choose what was right rather than what was easy.

Blaise's gaze landed on Theo, who had just received a letter from his father about the Dark Lord wanting him to take the Mark. He heard Astoria Greengrass, who Blaise had suspected was involved with Ginny Weasley, telling Theo that the rebellion had some support from adults like McGonagall and a group of people fighting against the Dark Lord. He heard Astoria telling Theo to seek them for help instead of accepting his fate and taking the Dark Mark. Astoria had been wanting the Slytherins to fight against You Know Who too, to stand against the current regime like many from the other houses who were openly rebelling, even if it looked like Potter had no chance, and the Dark Lord was gradually gaining control everywhere.

"We have to do what's  _right_ , not what's  _easy_ ," she implored. Theo looked conflicted. Blaise watched on, his eyes dark and expressionless, as he started categorizing Theo's every little gesture showing nervousness in his head out of habit. It was like watching Malfoy, but not quite, in a way Blaise couldn't exactly articulate.

He suspected that deep down, he knew full well what the difference implied. He just wasn't ready to admit it to himself yet.

"What would  _you_  choose?" Theo asked, turning to Blaise, his tone challenging, his eyes sharp and demanding.

Blaise's lips twitched ever so slightly, as he finally commented, the only answer he'd ever known to this kind of questions, "It's unwise to choose a side before knowing which one would for sure win, isn't it?"

Anger and hurt flashed across Theo's eyes, as he snarled quietly, "You seem to forget that not everyone has the luxury of delaying making their choices."

Blaise bit his tongue from letting the automatic but cruel response " _trust me, I haven't forgotten, it's hard not to remember when you're a living example standing in front of me_ " escape his lips. While it might be fun to bait Theo, he knew this wasn't exactly the best topic to do so. Then he mentally rejected the next 3 progressively less provocative answers that might led to a fight (including " _perhaps i should thank you for diverting the Dark Lord's attention with your existence so I have the luxury_ "), before settling with an indifferent shrug and not saying anything. Blaise might be sharp and scathing in nature, and usually never hesitant to twist a knife into a wound, but somehow Theo's glare silenced him.

Or perhaps he just had a soft spot for him.

Blaise wondered if Theo's eyes had always been such a deep shade of enchanting sapphire blue that could drown people in them.

"We all have our luxuries," he finally said, some unknown feeling twisting deep inside him. "I'm sure you would be able to lord your status over me, should the side you choose eventually win, and you would be telling that this was the price of remaining neutral."

Theo's mouth tightened, "What great relief, I'll need to remember to do just that."

Blaise gave him a weirdly sincere smile. "That's the spirit."

"You're an arsehole, you know that right?"

They met each other's gaze evenly.

"Yeah," Blaise shrugged, not bother denying.

"You're not going to choose a side until you absolutely have to, do you?" Theo asked, his tone bitter.

"I think it's stupid to make a choice without sufficient information unless absolutely having to," Blaise replied.

"I -" Theo began sharply.

"I know you're in the 'absolutely having to' situation right now," Blaise said, cutting across Theo. Then he hesitated a bit, wondering if he was about to do something very, very stupid.

Blaise wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He let his eyes focus on Theo, and suspected that deep down, perhaps he'd always known what was causing him to make a decision that he knew, logically, was stupid. Very, very stupid.

He had no idea if it was going to be right, and he doubted that it would be easy.

"And I, on the other hand, wasn't in that kind of urgent situation," he said, slowly.

Theo's eyes narrowed, "Wow, thanks for the reminder. I almost _forgot_  about that -"

Blaise ignored Theo's sarcasm, and just thought about how utterly stupid this decision was. But -  _fuck it_  -

"This is absolutely bloody goddamn stupid. And I don't know if it'll be right or easy in any way. But - whatever you're choosing -" he finally said, swallowing hard and closing his eyes. "I guess - I'm going with you."

Theo's jaw dropped, as if it were the very last thing he expected to hear from Blaise "You Can Pry My Neutrality From My Cold Dead Hands" Zabini. "You're ..."

And Blaise gave him a very faint smile, "Better choose the correct side for me, Nott."

 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](http://ff-sunset-oasis.tumblr.com)


End file.
